Pepper has been a treasured spice through ages. It is believed to have originated in the Malabar coast. Archaeological evidence shows that it was used in food and as a medicine about 2000 BCE. Our Natural Whole Black Pepper, sourced from Meghalaya is a cousin of the Malabar variety. It has a sharp, pungent, hot and woody taste and smaller kernels. Peppercorns are not seeds or vegetables. They are dried fruits of a flowering vine that usually trails around betel nut trees in tea and coffee plantations.